Kenny Chesney Scores A Hit With 'Carry On'

Official Announcement | Published: May 13, 2026 11:26 AM EDT

(EBM) Kenny Chesney has built a career on finding songs that hit people right where they live. For his HEY NOW Records debut, the high energy force of music knew he wanted something that exponentiated his embrace of total positive energy. "Carry On," the three minute feel good package of bartender wisdom that packs bits of reggae undertow, bluegrass harmonies and a summer anthem chorus, was just the thing.

For his first single in two years...his first for the brand new and fiercely independent HEY NOW Records...his return to what he does best, lifting people up no matter what their state of life...the 2025 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee notches a pair of firsts: his highest ever add day and closing the panel with every station delivering "Carry On" to listeners across the country.

"The world's overwhelming," Chesney says, "between our phones and the news, it's a lot. But the truth is: our lives are right now, and we need to remember - no matter what - that we gotta find the joy and happiness wherever, however, because that's the only thing we can control."

"Carry On" locking the panel on week one marks only the third time in Mediabase history this has happened. Garth Brooks achieved the feat in 1997 and Post Malone with Morgan Wallen delivered 100% of the reporters in 2024. Whether a sign of the times or merely Chesney delivering another year's Song of Summer, "Carry On" has struck a chord.

"Some songs just hit you in the heart," Chesney explains. "When I heard it, I was right there at the end of the bar at Schooner Wharf, which is such old Key West. I could see it, hear it, taste it - and the more I listened to songs, and I've heard some unbelievable songs this time around, the more I knew I wanted to find a song that would not just make people happy, but give them permission to live their life so in the moment and free...

"Based on the response from radio, I'm not the only one looking to be empowered, inspired, lifted up. Like the bridge says, 'If it feels good do it, if it doesn't then don't...' Nothing could be simpler, but man, isn't that everything life comes down to?"

More than a musical cocktail that delivers a face your life but just keep loving and living every single moment sentiment, "Carry On" offers something musical that matches the message. With a melody that cascades, electric guitars that are bright and bold and a rhythm that moves from the islands to the stadiums, songwriters Chase McGill, Jessi Alexander and Matt Jenkins created the perfect distillation of everything the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar has come to represent.

Dropping a summer anthem that sparks people to turn it up, drive faster, laugh louder, stay a little longer and then get up and seize the day the morning after, "Carry On" reminds everyone how glorious being alive can be. Instantly ready for arms-around-friends shout-alongs during days on the beach, chasing the night with friends and tailgates everywhere, the chorus delivers everything to get you through a Tuesday morning ride to work or a white-hot Saturday night.

One hundred fifty-eight stations out of 158 stations can't be wrong. After all, if it feels good, do it... For Kenny Chesney, brand new HEY NOW Records and music fans everywhere, what a way to return with new music.